Breakeven
by Apples200
Summary: Based on the song by The Script. Sort of follows the show's storylines but not really. Wade is with Vivian and Zoe is newly single, the rest is yet to happen... I will be updating every week also, I do not own Hart Of Dixie.
1. Chapter 1

I've had this story for a while, gonna give it a shot. It's based on the song by The Script "Breakeven". Wade is happy with Vivian and Zoe has just broken up with Joel and of course, drama ensues…. Let me know what you think. Thanks!

….

Zoe looked down at the bowl of spaghetti in front of her and then back up at Lavon. She remained silent as she watched Lavon and Annabeth enjoy their meal, she didn't want to admit it but she was starting to feel a bit like a third wheel. Everywhere she turned there was a couple in her face. In the morning she had Lavon and Annabeth enjoying breakfast, on the way to work she came across Tom and Wanda enjoying a game of eye-spy, even Brick had someone. Then there was Wade and Vivian, she tried not to think about them and yet she couldn't escape them. She could admit that at times she felt slightly alone since Joel had moved back to New York but she knew it was the right decision, she didn't love him. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't give him her whole heart and if she was being completely honest she never loved him, she loved the idea of loving him.

Lavon caught a glance of Zoe, he didn't know what to say to her because honestly he didn't know how she felt. It wasn't like her break-up with Wade where he had to pry her from her bed instead she was just, Zoe. In fact he reckoned she saw more of the old Zoe now that Joel was gone and he liked it although he was hesitant. Annabeth insisted Zoe would talk when she felt like it and maybe then she would finally give them insight into the break-up.

"So Z, how you findin' bein' back in the carriage house?" Lavon asked, breaking the ice. Annabeth shot him a look but Zoe never flinched. Instead she smiled "It's good, good to be back."

"It's good to have you back." Lavon said smiling. Zoe looked up at him with a confused look on her face "Lavon what about Lynly?"

"Oh yeah well I mean of course I'll miss her n'all but you know…" he cleared his throat as Zoe smiled. Annabeth patted his hand and gave him a sympathetic smile.

Zoe looked over at the empty chair beside her and wrestled with the question that was on the tip of her tongue.

"So where's Wade tonight?" The question rolled right off her tongue before she had a chance to stop herself. Lavon and Annabeth looked at each other, neither one wanted to bring it up because like everything else they didn't know how she felt, not honestly anyway.

"He uh, he has plans." Lavon said quietly.

"With Vivian?" Zoe asked.

Annabeth nodded "And Harley."

Zoe sighed as her heart sank, she hoped she had hid it well but it was clear every single soul in town and within a 10 mile radius of town that Zoe Hart was not okay with Wade and Vivian, not in the slightest.

"I'm surprised he managed to get time off from the Rammer Jammer, what are they doing?"

Lavon opened his mouth, he was going to go with the simple dinner and a movie, it put a stop to the conveyor belt of questions and meant he could continue his meal in peace but he was too late- Annabeth stepped in with her constant need to be honest.

"He took them to the zoo today and then they were having a Batman marathon at her place."

Lavon dropped his fork and sighed and Annabeth soon realised what she had done. They both looked over at Zoe expecting a reaction instead they got a soft sweet smile that highlighted the pain in her eyes.

"Zoe, I know you've said you're okay with Wade and Vivian but, it's okay if you're not. You can tell us." Lavon said honestly but Zoe swallowed hard.

"Lavon, I have told you a thousand times, Wade seems really happy with her- and Harley so I'm happy he's happy. He deserves to be happy, everyone deserves to be happy."

"That's an awful lot of happiness in one sentence." Annabeth said in a high pitched tone.

Zoe pushed her plate away and smiled "Like I said, he's happy and so am I. Look I ament really that hungry so I'll just see you guys in the morning." With that she rose from her seat and walked out the door leaving Lavon and Annabeth looking at each other.

Zoe made her way across the plantation; although it was early February it was a nice, mild evening as the sun was setting. It was her favourite time of day. Everything seemed so peaceful especially the pond separating her and Wade's houses. The flies hovered above the water as the insects clicked and clacked in the trees and hedges around the houses. She looked over at the gatehouse. The blinds were shut, even the outside light was off- he really wasn't home. The final object she observed was Harley's bike that rested against the railings, she knew it was his bike because one evening as she was coming home from work she found herself coming head on Wade and Vivian hand-in-hand and Harley on his bike. They were going for an evening stroll before getting pizza and she was going home to an empty carriage house and slightly cold take-out from Fancies.

…..

Mornings were a struggle for anyone but for Zoe they were worse, she had grown accustomed to Joel waking her up with his weird breathing pattern waking her up in the morning but now that that was gone she could only rely on her alarm on her phone that had a mind of its own. It eventually went off at 8:15 giving Zoe 45 minutes to get to work but she decided to be good to herself and take the morning off meaning she wouldn't have to be in until 11. She took her time getting dressed, picking out a simple outfit of a blue blouse and black high-waist shorts and her black Jimmy Choos that she had gotten in New York the previous summer.

As she walked out the door of the carriage house she couldn't help but notice the blinds were not open over at Wade's, she smiled at the fact that he was back and she would more than likely be seeing him at some point during the day, suddenly the morning wasn't feeling as bad as it original did.

"Lavon!" Zoe screamed as she walked through the kitchen door, she was greeted by the slamming of the fridge door and Wade standing in front of her.

She was stuck for words as she looked at him uselessly "Wade…" she stuttered "…didnt expect to see you here, I thought you were in the middle of a Batman marathon." She laughed nervously trying to act cool but it really wasn't working out. Wade didn't catch on though as he filled his glass with orange juice.

"Harley was sick so I worked the night shift at the Rammer Jammer." He took a seat at the counter as Zoe rolled her eyes, there she was sitting eating Lavon's crummy spaghetti when she could've been at the counter in the Rammer Jammer eating a burger and fries and having Wade top her up with wine every few minutes.

"Oh no, I hope he isn't too sick." Zoe said as she reached for the cereal in front of her, she cringed as she thought of what she had just said, she could have asked what was wrong with him, she was a doctor after all but she didn't want to know because frankly she didn't care, not in an insensitive way just that she liked the idea of Wade being in Bluebell, with her.

"Just a 24 hour thing, He'll survive" Wade said as he picked at his cereal. Zoe nodded as she took a seat across from him.

Wade looked over at her, she looked different, not a bad different- far from it. She looked like the old Zoe, the Zoe he knew… and loved. He tapped his spoon against his bowl, for weeks now he had wanted to know why she and Joel had broken up but he didn't want to piss her off or feel like he was overstepping any boundaries. All he had heard was that one night Zoe and Joel were having dinner in Fancies and the next morning he had packed his stuff and was on the next plane to New York. He wanted to know so badly but he couldn't bring himself to ask.

He watched her scoff down her cereal "Bet this beats breakfast over at Dashes huh?"

Zoe smiled "Definitely. Every morning he insisted on performing his 'morning songs'. I swear by the 3rd week Joel and I-" She paused as Wade looked her in the eyes, they didn't look painful or upset they looked stunned. He wanted to stand up, go over and hug her and let her know that he was there for her but he didn't, instead he smiled at her and said "He was an idiot for leavin' town Doc." He stood up and brought his bowl to the sink as Zoe absorbed what he had just said, she crinkled her fists in frustration at the fact that she couldn't tell him the truth, the real reason why Joel left. She watched him gather his things as he made his way to the door. He paused for a moment and turned back to her.

"It's good to have you back Doc…" He said gently, resting his hand on the handle of the door. It took everything in him to leave the kitchen especially when he saw her crack a small smile.

"It's good to be back..." She replied, sincerely.


	2. Chapter 2

….

Wade tried his best to avoid eye-contact with Zoe as she poured her bowl full of cereal. Her long wavy hair shone in the light of the morning sun. Wearing a simple white shirt and ¾ length jeans she looked flawlessly beautiful. As she buzzed around the kitchen she hummed a soft tune under her breath. He found himself smiling as the two sat in silence although the silence wasn't awkward or uncomfortable it was peaceful and calm. His eyes never dropped below her back though, he knew it wouldn't be fair to Vivian to be checking out other women and he cared so much about her so he focused his eyes keenly on her face. Her sweet, sweet angelic face that no matter what mood she was in still looked like she had been made by angels. He soon caught his stares locking with hers and he froze. She looked at him and smiled.

"You gonna answer that?" She asked.

"Huh?"

"Your cell phone? It's ringing." She said smiling as Wade soon heard the high pitch ringing come from his pocket. He shook his head and gave a little chuckle as he pulled the phone from his pocket. He looked down at the name on the screen and paused, it was Vivian. Zoe looked at him and without having to say anything she knew who was calling him. She turned towards the sink and pretended to wash her bowl as he answered the phone.

"Hey… I was just gonna call you." Wade said into the phone as Zoe listened on.

"I'm just havin' breakfast then I'm workin' til 3." He paused for a moment as she spoke before he spoke again "Well maybe after you drop Harley off you could come here and we could go get somethin' to eat."

Zoe crashed her eyes shut as she heard the words spill from his mouth but the worst was yet to come as the minute she turned around she heard the words he had said to her so often leave his mouth "Bye baby…" he said sincerely, with a smile on his face. Zoe looked at him with a pained expression. She reached for her bag on the counter and made her way to the door. Wade looked at her confused, completely unaware of what was going through her mind and watched her bullet through the door.

"Zoe."

"I just remembered I have a patient at 8 and I can't keep them waiting so I'll just… okay bye."

She rushed out the door leaving Wade sitting there, looking around him in dismay.

…..

"Hey Lavon, you haven't been talkin' to Zoe lately have ya?" Wade asked as he wiped down the surface of the counter at the Rammer Jammer.

Lavon looked up from his sandwich "What ya mean?"

Wade shrugged his shoulders "She was just actin' really weird this mornin' and I'm worried that maybe she's takin' this whole Joel thing hard. They were together for a good while, she's probably lonely."

Lavon's eyes widen as he saw the look in Wade's eyes "No."

"No?"

"No, Wade don't do this."

"Do what?" Wade asked.

"This. Worryin' about Zoe Hart. You have Vivian and that's goin' good. Don't screw it up."

Wade scoffed "Lavon, she's my friend and I'm worried about her. I'm with Vivian I know that and I'm so happy with her but that doesn't mean I can't be there for Zoe."

Lavon hung his head for a second as he lowered his voice "I love both y'all but you've never been friends, you're not able to be. There's too much history."

Wade looked at the Lavon with those big puppy dog eyes, thinking of something to say when Vivian walked through the door. She had a big smile on her face as she approached the bar.

"Hey Lavon" she said as she reached up and kissed Wade.

"Hey, I was just gonna call you, I didn't expect to see you so early." Wade said as he poured her a glass of lemonade.

"I dropped Harley at his friend's house early and thought I'd go visit Zoe before you got off work."

Wade and Lavon's heads shot up simultaneously unknown to Vivian. Lavon smiled as he took a drink from his glass and Wade scoffed an uncomfortable laugh.

"Zoe? Why... uh, why would you go visit her?"

"She's been off the radar for a while, I've called her but… I don't know I think she could be taking the break-up pretty hard."

Wade looked at Lavon for support but Lavon wore a look of 'I told you so' and continued to listen to Vivian talk. Wade zoned out as Vivian and Lavon conversed. He knew dating Zoe's cousin came with a territory. He didn't want his feelings for Vivian come between the cousins but he also didn't want his life with Vivian to overlap with Zoe because no matter what Zoe will always be special to him and in a way would be his only weakness.

"Look Vivian I think maybe this is somethin' Zoe needs to go to through alone. She'll talk when she's ready." Wade said as Lavon smiled, he admired Wade for moving on and being happy with someone but he also admired that fact Wade was acknowledging his feelings for Zoe and that maybe it was best he keeps his worlds separate as much as possible. Wade went out back to gather his things as Lavon sat waiting with Vivian.

"I actually think Zoe was talkin' about goin' into Mobile. Shoe shoppin' or somethin'. I'll tell her you were askin' about her."

Vivian smiled "Thanks Lavon." Wade re-emerged from behind the bar and came up behind Vivian. He placed his hand on her back and smiled.

"You ready?"

"Yeah." She said smiling.

Lavon watched the two of them walk out hand-in-hand praying that they wouldn't run into Zoe. He wanted to believe that Wade was fully capable of moving on and being with someone other than Zoe for the rest of his life but sadly he also knew that Wade Kinsella was still in love with Zoe Hart and that he always would be in love with Zoe Hart.


	3. Chapter 3

**I hope you enjoy and please review, thanks!**

…..

"I can't believe this…" Wade said as he crashed the kitchen door shut. Lavon and Annabeth looked up from their dinner as did Zoe. Wade sat down in frustration as he let out a sigh of frustration. Lavon and Annabeth looked at Zoe to find out what was wrong but Zoe was hesitant. She had been keeping her distance from Wade and from Vivian for about a week now and any encounter she did have was awkward and uncomfortable.

"What's wrong Wade?" AB asked, deciding to take the lead.

"Harley has the vomitin' bug and Vivian doesn't want me to get it so she cancelled on me for tomorrow night. I cant believe it."

"But tomorrow is Valentine's Day?!" Lavon said with a hint of surprise in his voice. Zoe's head dropped as she knew there was no way she could dodge out of this conversation but it got worse when Wade turned in her direction.

"What can you do to get rid of the vomitin' bug?"

Zoe paused "Uh… can't really. Just have to let it get out of your system."

Wade sighed as he picked at the place-setting in front of him "She told me not call over either. So I guess I'm workin' tomorrow…"

"I'm sorry Wade. I know you were excited about it." Lavon said sympathetically as Zoe felt that pain in her stomach, the pain that bubbled up every time Wade mentioned Vivian's name. Zoe swallowed hard and smiled as Wade looked her direction.

"So what are you guys plans for tomorrow night?" Wade asked changing the subject to distract himself from his disappointment.

Lavon and AB looked at each other "You know, the usual. Dinner and then-"

"We don't need to hear what happen after dinner thank you very much." Zoe said as Wade chuckled "What about you Doc? Anythin' special planned?"

Zoe paused "Well actually, I made a purchase today."

"A purchase?" Lavon asked as Wade suddenly became intrigued.

"Yep. The other night I was sitting at home and it was a nice night but I realised I had nowhere comfy to sit and enjoy the night, so I went to Mobile and bought myself a porch swing."

AB swooned, "Very nice Zoe. Let me know when it arrives and I'll come over and we can test it out with a nice bottle of wine."

"Oh it's already here. It's in the trunk of my car. I'm assembling it tomorrow night."

Wade let out an accidental laugh as Zoe looked at him "What are you laughing at?" She sneered although in a playful tone.

Wade shook his head and smiled "Well it's just, you said you're gonna assemble it…"

"Yeah so?"

"You…" He laughed as Lavon and AB looked on at how in a matter of minutes it had gone from a group discussion to one of the moments where Wade and Zoe space themselves from everything around them and just focus on each other.

"Stop laughing!" Zoe pleaded as she threw a piece of bread at him, Wade caught it in his stride and popped it in his mouth.

"I'll have you know Wade I am more than capable of assembling a porch swing. I am an independent woman... who is more than able to glue a few pieces of wood together."

"Glue? Where did you get this swing? An arts and crafts shop?"

Lavon sniggered as AB wrapped him on the wrist to stop. Zoe didn't know what to say to Wade. Yes in the past she had been reliant on Wade to do handy work for her but that was gone now, so she was going to do this by herself, to prove Wade wrong.

…

Zoe stared down at the unassembled porch swing. Pieces sprawled everywhere and the day light fading fast. She groaned as she flipped through the manual one more time even though she knew it was no use because it would just not work for her. The furthest she had gotten was connecting the back of the swing to the base but then accidentally knocked it over when she was opening a bottle of wine. She let out a final moan before sitting down on the porch steps and poured herself another glass of wine and watched the sun fall behind the trees.

"That's one heck of a porch swing ya got there Doc." Wade said as he came around the corner with a bag in his hand. Zoe looked up to see him standing there in that blue shirt she loved so much.

"Go on, make your jokes. I don't care..." She said defeated as Wade came closer. Without really thinking Wade took a seat side her on the top step and placed the white bag in the space between their bodies.

"Not gonna make a joke Doc, those porch swings can be tricky…." He smiled sweetly at her as she started to feel a bit better about herself "…besides I'm sure the way they taught you to assemble garden furniture in med school is different to how we do it down here."

Zoe scoffed as she hit him on the upper arm but Wade only laughed as he gripped at the bag.

"What's in the bag?" Zoe asked as she brushed the hair from her face as the evening wind picked up a bit yet remained mild in temperature. Wade reached in and pulled out a burger wrapped in a white napkin, Zoe peered in and saw a second burger and 2 sets of fries as she smiled, she loved the Rammer Jammer cheeseburgers more than anything. She then spotted the metal screwdriver with the blue handle resting at the bottom of the bag and rolled her eyes. She didn't have to say anything for Wade to notice she had seen the screwdriver.

"Quick tip Doc, a screwdriver comes in very handy in these types of situations."

"And what about the burgers?" Zoe quipped.

"Well that's just in case we get hungry." He said smiling as he reached for the manual behind them. He scanned the instructions for a moment or two before nodding his head "Seems simple enough."

"Well if it was so simple then why couldn't I do it?"

Wade paused "Sometimes I guess you just gotta step back and see what went wrong, then go from there."

Zoe looked up at him, his sweet soft eyes looking at her with the glimmer he wore so proudly. Her chest hurt sometimes seeing him smile knowing that she wasn't the one making him smile anymore. There was a moments silence between the two as Wade fiddled with the manual and Zoe played with her fingers.

"If you want to know what happened between Joel and me, I'll tell you. It's the least I could do... after basically rubbing the relationship in your face for months."

Wade rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he thought of what to say next. Zoe's big brown eyes were just so powerful and numbing he found himself staring deeper and deeper into them "Zoe you don't have to…"

"But I feel like I should. I brought him here knowing you'd see us together and I just- I guess I'm saying I'm sorry, for everything."

"I'm sorry too."

"For what?"

"For your cousin bein' the girl I fell for… I know you're not okay with it."

Zoe shifted a bit "Wade-"

"But it's okay. It took me a really long time to be only okay with Joel but then just one mornin' I woke up and I was…. and now I have Vivian."

Those words hit Zoe like a ton of bricks. She suddenly felt numb. What had she done? She had spent months telling herself she was over Wade, that he wasn't the one for her and yet in a matter of seconds it had all disappeared, all that convincing herself she had made the right choice was gone and had been replaced with the pain in her stomach that she had made a mistake. A massive mistake.

"So what d'ya say? Wanna finish this porch swing or what Doctor Hart?"

Zoe paused, thinking carefully about what to say next "Yeah…"

….

**I hope you enjoyed it, and please review! Thanks **


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all so much for the reviews, I hope you are still enjoying it!**

….

Zoe examined the colourful pile of flyers that rested on Lavon's desk. The stack of 200 appeared overnight as she read it with interest.

"_It's back folks… THE BLUEBELL BATTLE. March 10__th__ with the grand prize of 5 thousand dollars."_

Zoe groaned as she threw the leaflet on the desk and marched into the kitchen.

"The Bluebell Battle? Really Lavon? Are you that strapped for ideas that you feel the need to recycle that event?" She said as she pulled open the fridge door.

"What's wrong with the Bluebell Battle?" He asked feeling slightly confused.

"It was probably one of the worst days of my life." Zoe stated as she poured the milk over her cereal. Lavon only shrugged his shoulders, he couldn't really argue with her. As days go, that was a bad one for Zoe but Annabeth wasn't as content as Lavon.

"I mean surely it couldn't have been that bad. What happened?"

Lavon hung his head as Zoe's face lit up, someone wanted to hear her sob story and she was more than willing to tell it.

"It all started with-"

"Zoe no one needs to hear this –again." Lavon said, interrupting her. Zoe swung around to face Lavon with an unimpressed look on her face.

"Lavon no one cares. AB wants to hear what happen-"

"Zoe wanted George, Wade wanted Zoe, Zoe was oblivious to Wade's feelings and in the end Zoe ended up with no one." Lavon said as he flicked through the paper.

Zoe turned to him and scoffed, she had hoped to tell the story differently, with more angst and really display to Annabeth how the Bluebell Battle really did destroy her life.

"Well I think it's a great idea to raise some money and bring the town together." Annabeth said trying to deflect the attention from Zoe's story.

"Are you guys making a team?" Zoe asked as Wade walked into the kitchen. Instantly her focus switched from Lavon and Annabeth to Wade, he entered silently, almost trying to go unnoticed with a plain expression on his face. Zoe couldn't help but examine him. The way his upper arms protruded through his white t-shirt, with a trail of veins running up and down his tanned arms and his sandy blonde hair pushed to one side. She subtly watched as he reached up and searched the cupboard for a mug. As he stretched up the band of his boxers revealed themselves and that's when Zoe shook her head. What was she doing? Wade was taken and had been taken for a while now. He was happy with Vivian and they were going strong yet Zoe couldn't help but stumble every time he walked into the room.

"Hey Wade." She said shyly as Annabeth looked at her suspiciously but Zoe didn't notice, she was too busy watching Wade fill his bowl with cereal.

"Doc…" he said not really focusing on her but rather on his cereal. He took a seat at the counter and began eating his cereal before stopping suddenly "Lavon, can you remember to put me and Vivian down for a race number on Saturday please."

Zoe's head shot up, moving awkwardly in the spot "For the uh… for the Bluebell Battle?"

Wade nodded, unaware of Zoe's nervous facial expression, "Yeah. Harley is at his dads for the weekend so Vivian's gonna come here and she knows about the battle so she wanted to do it."

Zoe nodded to herself, trying to act casual. Wade looked up at her and smiled "Aren't you guys cousins, I thought she'd have told you."

Zoe paused "We haven't really talked lately, you know, I'm so busy with work and she has Harley and… and you." She said the last part hastily as Annabeth tilted her head, growing more and more curious of Zoe's body language.

"Well she's comin' here this evenin' after she drops Harley off so maybe you can catch up then."

"Yeah, maybe." Zoe said quietly as she played with the warm mug of coffee between her hands.

"I gotta go…" Wade said as he put his bowl in the sink, brushing past Zoe as he made his way for the door. The smell of cologne blocked her nostrils as she tingled.

"See ya man." Lavon said as he looked up from his paper.

"Bye…" Zoe said sweetly as he smiled back at her before rushing out the door. Zoe took a moment to stare at the door before turning back to Annabeth who had a huge grin on her face. She knew what was going on, she could tell from the sparkle in Zoe's eyes that she was smitten but said nothing, instead just smiled.

"What?" Zoe snapped at her but all Annabeth did was smile.

…

"Lavon I am tellin' you, Zoe Hart is fallin' for Wade."

"AB hush, there is nothin' goin' on with Wade and Zoe. Trust me."

Annabeth rolled her eyes "were you in the kitchen this mornin'? She could barely string two words together in front of him!"

Lavon sighed as he closed the book that rested on his lap and looked up at his girlfriend "You really think Zoe wants Wade back?"

Annabeth nodded.

"After all this time… after George and Jonah and Joel and all the other stuff. You think Zoe wants to get back with Wade?"

"Yes I really do." Annabeth said confidently.

"You're crazy." Lavon said as he stood up "Both Wade and Zoe have moved on. Zoe is dealin' with the break-up, she's probably just a bit mixed up."

"Lavon, Zoe and Joel ended 2 months ago and so far I have not seen her shred one tear, made one drunken phone call or cling to his shirt whilst cryin' in bed! Why don't you want Wade and Zoe to happen again?"

"Because!" Lavon said, his voice slightly elevated "Because, they both got so hurt last time…." He rested against the counter as Annabeth came closer to him "When Wade slept with that girl, it almost killed Zoe and when she left for New York, it nearly killed Wade."

Annabeth sighed, she could tell how torn Lavon was, it was clear he hated seeing his friends hurt and that last time it hadn't worked out but she also knew what she saw in Zoe's eyes that morning, that wasn't being 'mixed up' that was falling in love all over again.

"Lavon, can you honestly tell me that you think Wade and Zoe are done forever?"

Lavon looked up. Those big eyes looking his girlfriend up and down as he thought about his answer, his honest answer.

…...

"You know you really didn't have to do this AB. I know how excited you were to take part in the race with Lavon." Zoe said as she set down the shopping bags by her feet as the waiter handed them both a menu.

"Don't be ridiculous. A full day shoppin' with you or a full day runnin' around Bluebell puttin' wheelbarrows together… it was a no brainer!"

Zoe smiled as she skimmed the menu "Are you sure? Because we can still-"

"Zoe, would you stop! Today was fun. What's wrong? Why are you acting so weird? Is it because of the break-up?"

Zoe scoffed "No, it is not. Why does everyone keep thinking that?"

"Well it's just. You haven't really talked about it and we're worried about you."

"Who's we?" she asked suspiciously.

Annabeth looked around "Me, Lavon, Vivian….Wade."

"Wade? Really?"

"Well he is your friend so yeah, we just want to know you're okay."

Zoe smiled softly "I am fine, trust me."

Annabeth paused for a moment, she thought about her and Lavon's conversation but she also thought about that look in Zoe's eye every time Wade passed by "Zoe can I ask you somethin'?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Do you love Wade?"

Zoe's eyes widened as she laughed uncomfortably "Why would you think that?"

"Well it's just… it seems like recently you've really…struggled for words around him. Like you're smitten or somethin'!"

Zoe looked down at her menu and swallowed hard "He's with Vivian AB, I moved on or at least I thought I did and then next thing you know… he really has moved on."

Annabeth looked up at her, the sincerity in her voice spoke volumes.

"He's moved on, and there is nothing I can do about it."

…..

"So that was the Bluebell Battle, I'm sorry we didn't win." Wade said as he led Vivian to her front door. Vivian smiled as she searched for her keys.

"It's okay, I had fun and Crickett deserved to win. Who knew Stanley had it in him huh?" she giggled sweetly as Wade chuckled. He watched Vivian open the door, taking his hand along the way when they were interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind them. Wade swung around to see Harley standing there with a man, tall with jet black hair. Vivian sighed as she looked at Wade who immediately grew suspicious of the man.

"Wade, Charles…" She said as she ushered Harley inside once he gave Charles a hug goodbye. Wade watched as Vivian had to pry Harley from his father and brushed completely past him, running into the house.

Charles stuck out his hand yet gave him a blank expression. Wade looked at Vivian who was focused on Charles "I thought you weren't bringing him back til 9. It's only half 7."

"I got called into work for 9 and he was gettin' tired."

"He was getting tired or you were getting tired?"

"He was." Charles snapped, glancing at Wade.

"We have an agreement Charles, you can't just-"Vivian sighed as she turned to Wade "Thank you for today Wade, I gotta deal with this but I will call you tomorrow okay?"

Wade rubbed the back of his neck and smiled "Yeah okay." He placed a small kiss on her cheek as he pushed past Charles.

The drive home for Wade was a quiet one, up until now he had sort of convinced himself that Vivian's past was- in the past. That it wouldn't be coming back to visit them but he was wrong, very wrong. As he drove back into town, watching the townspeople take down the banners and bunting from earlier that day he spotted Zoe walking down the road, it was fairly dark and those high-waist shorts were just an invitation for some redneck creep. He pulled up beside her, startling her just a little bit.

"Doc, what are you doin' out here?"

Zoe let out a sigh of relief once she saw it was Wade in the car and not some dirty old farmer "Don't you know not to pull up beside women when it's dark out?"

Wade scoffed "Don't you know not to walk through country roads when it's dark out?" he revved slightly as she continued to walk down the road.

"What are you even doing, why aren't you with Vivian?" Zoe asked casually as she continued to walk, her arms swinging, bursting with sass.

Wade gripped at the steering wheel, breathing in slowly "She had to deal with Charles…"

"Who?" Zoe asked as she looked down at him.

"Her ex!" he sprouted back at her "Do you guys talk at all?"

Zoe shrugged her shoulders "I told you, I'm busy with work."

Wade brushed off her comments; he was too worried about Vivian and Charles to worry about Zoe and her obvious lies.

"Would you just get in the damn car."

"No!" Zoe said adamantly as Wade growled "What is the matter with you, you are crazy!"

"Yeah well maybe I like being crazy Wade!" She quipped back, with a cheeky grin on her face. Wade scoffed as he gave her one last look, he knew she would be just fine but just had to make sure. Zoe looked at him once more before giving him permission to drive off which he duly did. Zoe smiled to herself as she watching his car fade further and further into the distance, he wasn't completely gone she thought to herself, far from it in fact.

…..

**I hope you enjoyed it, please review and all that as I am not a mind reader! Thanks**


	5. Chapter 5

**I am in the middle of exams so I can't promise an update next week but I shall try my best! I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think, I hate to sound like a moan-bag but it is extremely hard to update when people don't let me know what they think. Thanks.**

…..

Wade looked at Zoe from behind the bar, she had hardly touched the food in front of her and seemed too distracted with whatever was on her phone. He hesitated for a moment, not wanting to disturb her but suddenly without really thinking he found himself standing at her table with a dirty cloth in his hand.

"Hey…" he said awkwardly.

Zoe looked up from her phone and smiled instantly once she saw who it was. "Hey yourself." She said cringing almost immediately, why was she so nervous? It was Wade, she had talked to Wade plenty of times before but lately every time she saw him or spoke to him her eyes lit up and her stomach twisted with nerves.

Wade chuckled lightly at her comment before shifting his weight around, Zoe could tell something was bothering him by the way he played with the cloth in his hand.

"You got a minute?" he asked, and without giving her time to respond he was sitting beside her only inches from her face. Zoe cleared her throat as he moved away but only slightly.

"What's going on with you?" She asked now starting to question his sanity.

"I just… I need to know about Charles."

"Who?"

"Dammit Zoe, she's _your_ cousin!" he said desperately but in a hushed tone.

Zoe rolled her eyes "What's the matter Wade?"

"He's suddenly back and spendin' a lot of time with Harley and the kid is just so damn happy and I just… I'm makin' myself crazy over somethin' I don't even know I should be crazy about."

Zoe sighed, she really did not want to discuss this with Wade but he was desperate and showed no sign of letting up.

"I've never met him and she's never really talked about him but if you're so worried why don't you just ask her?"

"I don't want to make a big deal out of it."

"But it's bothering you? I think you should talk to her Wade, I really do."

Wade chewed at his lip as he thought about his options. He looked over at Zoe, she was clearly uncomfortable but he was desperate.

"Unless…." His voice trailed off as Zoe squinted her eyes in curiosity before suddenly realising what he was hinting at.

"No." She said firmly.

"Doc please."

"No not a hope, this is your relationship Wade… with Vivian so it is strictly between the two of you."

Wade hung his head, he knew it was a long shot but worth a try. As he rose from the seat Zoe sensed the desperation coming off him and felt bad. She tried her best to keep out of his relationship because honestly it was tough. It was tough to see him smile at another woman, it was tough to see him hold her hand and kiss her and it was tough knowing he spent his nights with her but most of all it was tough for her to be around him and not tell him how she really feels about him. She watched him move further from the table and without really knowing it she had called his name. He looked back at her with those big puppy dog eyes and sighed.

"What would you like me to say to her exactly?"

…..

"Zoe!" Vivian called as she walked into the Butterstick with her handbag swinging.

Zoe lifted her head from looking at the menu and smiled nervously as she watched Vivian approach her.

"I almost didn't recognise you it's been so long." Vivian joked as she hugged Zoe.

Zoe smiled softly "I know. I'm really sorry. Things have just been…crazy."

"Zoe you don't have to explain yourself. I know you've been going through a lot with Joel leaving and everything."

Zoe scoffed to herself subtly. Why did everyone presume she was just a delicate shell of a woman now that she was single?

"My relationship with Joel was… well he wasn't my true love."

Vivian smiled "Well then who is?"

Zoe took a gulp of air as her eyes fell on Wade peaking in the window, his face pushed against the glass panel in an effort to try grasp their conversation but it was no use. Zoe stared for a minute before shaking her head. She was getting that feeling in her stomach again as she stuttered.

"Uh… uh could you excuse for just one second?"

Vivian nodded as she watched Zoe spring from her seat and shuffle out onto the street where she went out of view.

Zoe pushed Wade up against the wall as she looked back in the window to see Vivian flipping through the menu.

"Wade, what do you think you're doing?" She noted her left hand pressed firmly against his tight chest and she reluctantly moved it away as Wade fixed his shirt.

"Did she say anythin'?"

"We haven't even ordered yet!"

"Well it don't take until the main course to say 'hey Vivian, any chance you and your ex are back on?' Come on Doc!"

Zoe squinted her eyes a she looked him up and down.

"Wade, what is going on with you?"

"I just..just-"

"Just what? Do you realise how desperate you look? You are stalking your girlfriend."

Wade sighed as he knocked his head back against the brick wall. Zoe examined his body language. He looked nervous, and she had never really seen him act in such a nervous tense manner and that was when it hit her, Wade was serious about Vivian. Somewhere along the line it had gone from taking it slow to actual, serious feelings.

Zoe sighed "Just go home, I will talk to her but Wade… if there is nothing to worry about then you just have to believe her and trust her."

Wade nodded reluctantly as he watched Zoe walk away, feeling dejected and vulnerable.

"Sorry about that." Zoe said as she took a seat, discovering Vivian had just disconnected a phone call.

"Who was that?" She said inquisitively.

Vivian sighed "Charles. He has Harley for the day and he was just double checking drop off time."

Zoe nodded "He seems to be making a real effort with Harley huh?"

"Yeah. He's been great actually, I wish he was more like that during our marriage and maybe we wouldn't be where we are today!" She laughed a little as Zoe smiled. A part of her felt awful, like she was betraying her cousin but another part felt like she needed to do this for Wade. She had treated him below par at times in the past year and she wanted to fix that and maybe finding a bit out about Vivian and Charles would help mend their friendship and her conscious.

"How does Wade feel about Charles hanging around?"

Vivian paused "He hasn't said anything, why has he said anything to you?"

Zoe suddenly lost her voice, all the words she wanted to say suddenly evaporated. She looked over at Vivian and smiled "Wade's a great guy and I am sure he will do anything for you but you just, every now and then gotta let him know that..."

"That what?"

"That he's good enough the way he is to be with you. "

Vivian nodded, not really sure what else to do. She had never heard Zoe speak like that about Wade.

"So tell me, what's been going on with you?" Vivian asked, changing the subject.

"I've been working pretty hard, things are just crazy at the practice and I really, really want to get my share of the practice back. I want to be a partner again."

"Do you have any idea when you'll get it back?"

Zoe shook her head regrettably "I have made a lot of mistakes since I left for New York and giving up the practice was one of them."

"Everyone make mistakes Zoe, but the great thing about mistakes is that we learn from them and sometimes we even correct them."

Zoe smiled "I really hope you're right."

….

"I really don't think you have anything to worry about Wade." Zoe said as she closed down the laptop in front of her. Wade leaned forward in the chair and held his head in his hands, remaining silent for a second.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. "

Wade smiled and as he nodded to himself "Okay good. Thanks Doc." He paused for a moment before rising and making his way to the door of Zoe's office.

"Oh I almost forgot to ask…" he said spinning around to face her "…The other night, when I saw you walkin' on the road, where were you comin' from anyways."

Zoe smiled "Don't worry, I wasn't doing anything illegal."

Wade dropped his head and smiled, she clearly didn't want him to know where she was so he decided to drop it.

"Hey Wade." Zoe called after him as he looked up to face her.

"Yeah?"

"Charles doesn't hold a candle to you, believe in yourself okay?"

Wade froze, it was back. That feeling in the pit of his stomach every time she looked at him with those eyes had suddenly burst through the chain he had wrapped it in, she looked so beautiful that he struggled to find words and yet instead of saying anything he swallowed hard and smiled.

"I'll talk to ya later Doc."

Zoe slinked back into her chair and sighed. All she could think about was Wade going to Vivian's, taking her completely by surprise and kissing her to the point where her spine tingled at the force of his grip and passion. Joel never kissed her like that and she never got that feeling and she missed it but more importantly she missed Wade.

Zoe spent the next hour spinning around aimlessly on her chair, thinking about everything from Wade to what she did for her 10th birthday. Her head was spinning with regret and hurt as her phone rang from her bag.

"Hello." She said lazily as she stared out the window into darkness.

"_Hey it's me."_ The low voice said back to her.

"Wade?"

"_Yeah."_

"Is everything okay?" she asked as she picked up on his dull tone.

"_Not really… I need you come get me."_

Zoe scrolled through Wade's directions via text message. It was short and abrupt and for the most part she had to find her own way to his location by guessing which road was which. It was about half 9 when Zoe arrived at the run down, nameless bar which was barely visible except for a flickering street light that stood over the small shack-like structure. Inside wasn't much better, with a few random tables scattered around the room and a massive pool table that occupied 4 drunken farmers who chugged from their glasses.

Zoe clutched at her purse as she scanned the room for Wade. The only noise she could here was faded out crooner music and the banging of glasses coming from the kitchen behind the bar. She swallowed hard as she passed by the pool table trying not to attract any more stares from the grubby company.

In the corner, knocking a bottle of beer between his hands she saw him, with his head hanging low Zoe sighed, she was almost afraid to go over to him, she hated seeing Wade so upset but she was also afraid her involvement may have had something to do with his disappointment.

"You've brought me to some very questionable places Kinsella but this is by far the worst…"

Wade lifted his head bitterly revealing a nasty wound running along his left cheeky directly under his eye. Zoe's mouth fell as she dropped her humorous tone.

"Vivian and me… we might have broken up."

Zoe swallowed hard, a part of her was screaming with delight but another part of her hurt for Wade.

"What happened? When you left my office you were so happy and… you were going to go talk to her. How did you end up here?"

"I have been tryin' so hard…" Wade said quietly, his eyes still fixed on his bottle of warm beer "…I have been tryin' so hard to move on with my life and for a while it was goin' good you know."

Zoe's eyes were fixed on Wade's motionless body as it felt like they were the only two people in the room.

"Wade what happened?" Zoe pleaded with him.

"They're a family, you know, they deserve another chance. Harley deserves another chance of havin' his mom and his dad together."

Zoe's eyes crashed shut as she cautiously put her hand on his upper arm and rubbed him comfortingly. Was the cut on his face a result of him and Charles crossing paths? She really hoped it wasn't.

"Wade please just tell me what happened."

"Nothin' happened. I just- when I left your office I was thinkin' about Harley and how when I was a kid, I'd have given anythin' to have my mom and dad together in one house. I mean I know it was different 'cause she died but still… I wasn't able to give 110% Doc and he deserves 110%."

Zoe sighed, not really sure what to say although she had so many questions.

Wade looked over at her, her eyes were fixed solely on the wound below his eye as he smiled at her softly.

"Charles didn't hit me, in case you were wonderin'. After I left Vivian's I was drivin' home and my engine gave out. I knew I wasn't far from this place so I went through some fields but my foot got caught in some wire and I fell… into a fence."

Zoe stared at him for a minute before a little laugh slipped out "You got into a fight with a fence?"

Wade scoffed "And lost."

Zoe laughed lightly as she rubbed her hand up and down his shoulder blade "You're going to be okay Wade."

Wade smiled to himself as he caught a glimpse of the clock hanging above "Can I buy you a slightly warm yet surprisingly nice beer?"

Zoe burst out laughing as she nodded her head "I would love that."

Wade tapped his knuckles against the table as he rose to his feet. Zoe let him pass by and watched as he made his way to the bar.

"Hey Doc." He said turning around.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. I'd be lost without you."

Zoe smiled sweetly as she watched him make his way to the bar. She knocked her head back against the grubby wall as she sniffed any lingering emotions away.

"I'd be lost without you too…" she whispered to herself.

….

There you go! I really hope you enjoyed it!


	6. Chapter 6

**Here you go! Thank you for all your feedback and please let me know what you think of this one!**

**…..**

"Right or left?"

"Right for tight left for loose. So left."

"Okay." Zoe picked up the screwdriver and turned the screw to the left as it fell into her hand. She slipped it into her jeans pocket as Annabeth watched on.

"So explain this plan to me again." Annabeth asked as Zoe cleaned up the box of screws and screwdriver and made her way into the carriage house.

"The plan is to tell Wade I require his assistance due to an emergency…"She held up the screw "… a screw has gone missing from my porch swing and I need him to fix it. Then as he is fixing my swing we will be talking and I will casually slip in the fact that I'm glad he is single again because I am in love with him and want to get back together with him."

"All from one screw?" Annabeth asked as she watched Zoe search through her wardrobe for a suitable outfit.

"And of course alcohol. Remind me to stop by the Dixie Stop later on and buy some wine."

Annabeth sighed as she sat down on the bed "Zoe, are you sure that you want to do this. Wade and Vivian just broke up and he's been pretty off the radar lately. I think you should just let him get over all of this stuff with Vivian before telling him how you feel."

"But I can't keep it in much longer, I'm about explode with feelings… and emotions."

"Yes but-"

"I appreciate you looking out for me AB but I got this."

"If you say so."

"I do. Now help me pick out an outfit for tonight."

As Zoe and Annabeth were rummaging through her wardrobe a phone began to ring. Zoe pulled the phone out of her pocket without looking at the screen still busy examining her clothes to see who was ringing her.

"Hello…?" she said as she pulled out a skin-tight dress.

"_Zoe, hey_."

Zoe's eyes bulged from her head as she dropped the dress onto the floor "Vivian… hey how are you?"

Annabeth looked on in horror as Zoe cringed. There she was picking out an outfit to seduce her ex-boyfriend when it completely slipped her mind that her ex- boyfriend's most recent ex was in fact her cousin.

"I was just about to call you but well-"

"_You figured it would be awkward now that Wade and I broke up."_

"Oh that."

"Yeah that."

"_Listen Zoe I just want to make sure that we're okay. I know you're friends with Wade but I really want us to continue… whatever we had._" She laughed awkwardly as Zoe squeezed her eyes shut, there was hurt in Vivian's voice but Wade had said the split was amicable and mutual so for now, she didn't feel guilty.

"Vivian don't worry about it. We're good."

"_Okay good. Maybe lunch next week?"_

"Sure, I'll call you later." Zoe looked over at Annabeth regrettably "Okay bye."

Zoe threw the phone on the bed along with herself. Suddenly she didn't feel so confident about this plan.

….

"Is it…? No it can't be… it is. It's Wade Kinsella as he lives and breathes." Lavon said in a sarcastic tone as Wade entered the kitchen.

"You're funny."

Wade made his way to the fridge but nothing interested him so instead he reached into the top cupboard and pulled out Lavon's secret stash of whiskey. He pulled two glasses fresh from the dishwasher and sat across from Lavon who watched him poured the contents into the glass. One glass filled slightly more than the other.

"Bit early don't ya think?"

Wade winced as he sipped at his drink "Not really no. Come on drink up."

Lavon pushed the glass away as he looked Wade up and down. He looked exhausted and was in desperate need of a shave. Lavon wanted to ask Wade how he felt about the break-up but he could never find the right time and whenever he did Wade would just grunt.

"You maybe want to get some pizza tonight, a few beers, you know, a guys night in?"

Wade shook his head as he filled his glass "As much as I would love to be your date tonight Lavon, I got plans."

Lavon rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore Wade's comments "Wade sittin' at home drinkin' beer is not a plan."

"Well if it makes you feel any better the Doc is gonna take my stitches before I sit at home and get drunk."

Lavon nodded as he examined Wade "So, how you doin'?"

"Well I am top of the world Lavon, how you doin'?"

"No need for sarcasm Wade. We're all just worried 'bout you."

"Well don't alright. I'm fine."

Wade downed the last drop of whiskey before pushing himself off his stool and made his way to the door.

"I tried real hard you know… I thought that over time it would get easier and I would get over it, but I haven't and it sucks."

Lavon sighed as he watched Wade shut the door behind him. He wasn't drinking because of Vivian, he was drinking because of what Vivian represented- moving on from Zoe Hart. Which he couldn't do.

….

"So how many bottles have you drunk today?"

"How can you tell?"

"I can tell that generic beer breath from anywhere." Zoe quipped as she pulled two rubber gloves from the box and snapped them over her hands.

Wade smiled as he sat on the examination table, looking down at the floor.

"How've you been? I mean despite drinking massive amounts of alcohol. You doing okay?"

"Do you want the answer I've been givin' Lavon or the real one?"

"The Zoe one." Zoe said as she placed her tray of instruments beside him on table. A small smile crept across his face as he tensed his back and sighed.

"I really liked her... but it just wasn't meant to be."

"So all this sulking around is just…"

"Me bein' pissed off that I can't move on from… everythin' I guess."

Zoe nearly dropped the alcohol wipe from her head. Her throat dried up and her voice disappeared. All that existed was the intense stare between the two as Wade stared up at her. His eyes gleaming with sincerity.

This was Zoe's moment to pour her heart out to him and to tell him that she wants to try again but words failed her, in fact, in the exact moment sanity failed her.

"So… let's get these stitches out! What d'ya say neighbour ?!"

Wade shook his head, trying to get the awkwardness "Yeah, let's do it."

"Okay, lift your head…" Zoe said slightly as she curled her finger under his chin and raised it so the light shone on his wound. Zoe rubbed the alcohol wipe across the wound as Wade sucked in his pain. Her soft touch against his rosy red cheeks made his spine shiver and was a slight distraction from the small thread being pulled from his skin.

As Zoe snipped the final stitch Wade winced and instantly Zoe found herself comforting him by placing her hand on his shoulder and squeezing it.

"Sorry, I'm almost done."

"You just enjoy seein' me squirm don't you." Wade joked as Zoe wiped the wound and placed a bandage over it. She held her fingers over the bandage for a moment longer, taking in his feel for as long as she could before she took a deep breath.

"Wade I'm in love with you."

Wade's head shot up "Uhh-"

"No don't say anything. I am in love with you and have been for a really long time now. I even masterminded a plan to sabotage my porch-swing as an excuse to see you because I love you that much! And I know... God I know how horribly I've treated you with Joel and everything but Wade you have got to believe me when I say that I want you… and that I love you."

There was extreme silence as they stared at each other.

"Thank you for takin' out my stitches Doc. I'll see you later."

He rose from the table, tucked his jacket under his arm and made his way out of the office. Zoe stood still, not fully able to comprehend what had just happened.

….

"He said 'thank you' and walked out? Surely you heard him wrong."

"It wasn't even a thank you for professing your love it was a thank you for ripping the stitches from my face!"

Zoe groaned as she sat up on her bed, pushing the laptop away from her body she pulled a bottle of wine between her legs and began to unscrew the cork. Annabeth sighed as she took a seat on the edge of the bed, resting her hand on Zoe's shin for comfort.

"I'm sorry Zoe…."

"You can say it now."

"Say what?"

"That you were right and I was wrong. I should have never told Wade how I felt because he is still hung up on Vivian."

Annabeth shook her head "Zoe don't be ridiculous. I mean yes, I did advise you to wait a while but I also I knew you would ignore my advice and go after him and honestly, I thought somethin' would happen between the two of you."

"But nothing did and now I can never look at him again."

"Zoe Hart that is crap and you know it. Do you think Wade crawled up in a ball and cried when he told you he loved you and you skipped off to New York? No! He kept faith the one day you would be back… and one day, you did come back."

"With Joel…"

"Yes but Wade never gave up!"

"Until I told him that Joel was the love of my life and that we were never going to happen, ever."

Annabeth stared blankly at Zoe as she tried to think of what to say next, this wasn't going the way she had hoped and Zoe was losing faith, rapidly.

"Look Zoe… my point is that Wade only moved on because you told him to, because he thought he had lost you. Prove to him that you were wrong, it's all very well to tell him you love him but you gotta show him you love him too."

Zoe nodded as she took in all Annabeth had told her. She was right. She had acknowledged to Wade how sorry she was for hurting him but she had never really told him. She just blurted out her feelings at the worst time possible in the most horrible way imaginable. She wanted until Annabeth left before freshening her make-up and brushing her hair and deciding to go talk to Wade.

She took her time walking down the porch steps once she saw the lights were on at Wade's. Walking past the pond the crickets chirped and the washing line blew as the night's wind picked up. Zoe walked onto his patio and that was when the nerves hit. She slowly walked to the door and tapped lightly on the glass. There was a moments silence before she heard noises on the other side of the door and then the door opened slowly.

It was as if Wade was almost expecting Zoe at his door as he acknowledged her with half a smile and a head nod.

"Hey…" she said as she played nervously with her hands.

"Hey." He said back, leaning against the frame of the door.

"I just came here to, tell you a few things."

Wade nodded as Zoe relaxed a little.

"First off I just want to say I am really sorry for how I dealt with today. You were really hurting and I was being selfish. I should have respected the fact that you're dealing with a break-up and given you your space. So I'm sorry."

Wade smiled to himself as Zoe continued.

"But I won't apologise for what I said, because I mean it, every single word of it. I have tried for the longest time to fight this thing between us, that it wasn't what I had in my head but I don't want to fight it anymore Wade."

Wade swallowed hard as he focused his eyes on hers.

"I know how much I screwed up when I walked away from us and I know how much I hurt you too and so I'm here tonight to tell you that I am going to fight for you, for your trust and for you to see that I have changed and that you're the only man I want."

"Zoe-"

"No okay, don't say anything. It's better if you stay quiet."

Wade smiled as he nodded. Zoe herself nodded as she looked at the ground and then up again at him.

"I don't want Joel or George or Jonah… I want you."

Wade breathed hard as Zoe gave him one final look before nodding to herself.

"Goodnight Wade."

"Night Doc."

…..

**There ya go! Please please let me know what you think! Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

….

Zoe flipped over the pancake as it sizzled, she bounced back a little as some of the batter snapped out at her. She kept her hand firm on the handle of the frying pan as Lavon and Annabeth watched on in awe.

"So you got up this mornin' and she was just... makin' pancakes?" Lavon whispered as he watched Zoe poke at the pancake with a spatula.

Annabeth nodded her head "She's been at this for a half hour."

"And she's only made one pancake?"

"The first few didn't go so well."

Lavon nodded as Zoe flipped the pancake onto the plate resting beside the hot rings and beamed when it landed safely. She looked up at Lavon and Annabeth who gave her a thumbs up of approval before letting her pour some fresh batter into the pan.

"Hey Zoe, are we allowed to eat the pancakes?" Lavon asked as he eyed up the fluffy pancake sitting in front of him.

Zoe looked over the kitchen door, as she gripped at the spatula she hoped the door would open and Wade would walk in. Annabeth followed Zoe's eyes as she shook her head.

"You know pancakes won't show him you're sorry, they'll just make him fat." Annabeth said as she poured herself some coffee.

Zoe retreated and refocused herself on the frying pan "I know…" she said shyly "…I just want to do something nice for him. You know I never really thought out my whole 'I want to fight for you' thing, I've kinda hit a roadblock."

"How exactly?" Lavon asked as he picked at the pancake.

"Well, how do I fight for him? I mean besides delightful ready-make pancakes?"

"I knew there was no way you actually made these." Lavon said as he poured some syrup over the pancake and Zoe rolled her eyes.

"Mornin'!" Wade said as he entered the kitchen with the biggest smile on his face. Immediately his eyes fell onto Zoe with the spatula in her hand and the apron tied around her waist. He smiled sweetly at her as Lavon and Annabeth watched on.

"Pancakes?" Wade asked as he ventured closer to her.

Annabeth reached for the bottle of ready-made mixture and hid it under counter before Wade could see all Zoe had to do was pour contents into a pan "Yeah, seems we got ourselves our very own… name a famous chief and that's Zoe!"

Wade chuckled a bit as he examined the pancake "You really made this?"

"Yep. You want some?"

Wade looked over at Lavon and Annabeth before looking back down on Zoe who he was now standing beside, their clothes brushing together.

"I was actually goin' to ask you if you wanted to go to breakfast with me but seen as you've done all this sure, I'd love some."

Zoe scoffed as Wade turned away, why did she have to be productive? If she had been her normal self and just made coffee her and Wade would be eating breakfast together, just the two of them.

"Good pancakes Doc." Wade said as he devoured his breakfast as the rest watched on.

"I'm glad you liked them. We don't want you to go to work on an empty stomach now do we?!" Zoe said as she laughed awkwardly and Lavon cringed.

"I'm actually glad all you guys are here cause I gotta tell you somethin'."

Zoe looked at him anxiously, suddenly feeling nervous "Why, what's wrong?"

"Nothin' is wrong it's just… well we're havin' a party, thing at the Rammer Jammer this Saturday, to celebrate 1 year of me not running it into the ground." He laughed lightly as Lavon and Annabeth smiled.

"One year? Wow, time flies huh?"

Zoe's eyes remained fixed on the table as they scrambled frantically, her palms got all sweaty and her throat went dry.

"It really has been a year hasn't it?"

Wade dropped his head "Yeah… I just, I wanted to tell you guys first because I want you all to be there."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Lavon said proudly and Annabeth agreed but Wade was too focused on Zoe to care. He bit his tongue as he waited for her answer but Zoe couldn't give him one. Suddenly her mind was filled with memories from a year ago and her bones were stiff with hurt. She looked at him, smiled and told him she'd do her best to make it before leaving for work and leaving Wade feeling like crap.

….

Wade clinched his fists together and took long, concentrated breaths as he waited for Dash to order.

"What's on the chicken burger?"

"Hmm I don't know Dash, turkey." Wade snapped.

"I mean other than meat, salad? sauces?"

"Dammit Dash you have been eatin' here for years just order your damn meal."

Wanda overheard Wade's raised tone and stepped in by pushing him away behind the counter.

"Wade, what is the matter with you? You've been in a mood all day!"

Wade crinkled his eyebrows , reflecting on his morning with Zoe and how hurt she was and suddenly he hated himself again.

"This whole party is a stupid idea, I think we should cancel it."

"Why?"

"I don't want to show off, just… cancel the flyers and tell Tom to cancel the order of customised plastic cups."

Wanda sighed, she knew he wasn't giving her the whole story and she wasn't going to pry so instead she ordered him to talk 15 minutes before returning to work with a smile on his face. As Wade was walking through town, trying to let go of his anger he saw Zoe coming his way and unfortunately she saw him coming too. It would have been awkward if they changed direction so instead they met head on at the gazebo.

"Hey, what are you doing walking around town at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, shouldn't you be doing the lunchtime rush?"

Wade dug his hands deep in his pockets "Wanda put me on a time out, I've kinda been a grouch this mornin'…"

Zoe nodded her head "Does it have anything to do with what happened at breakfast.?"

Wade smiled as the sun shone right into his eyes "A little bit. I feel like a bit of an idiot, I shouldn't have told you about the party the way I did given everythin' that happened…"

"Wade it's okay. I was actually on my way over to talk to you."

"Oh… really?"

"Yeah… I was wondering if you wanted to go to the party… with me."

Wades mouth fell open as his arms flopped, he grinned a little "Zoe are you askin' me to my own party?"

Zoe looked around her as she laughed "Maybe, yeah."

Wade reached out and placed his hand on her elbow "I'd love too."

"Good." She said confidently as she took in the feel of his fingertips against her skin.

"So now, are you gonna pick me up or can I do that cause honestly I'm starting to feel like a girl."

Zoe laughed "You can pick me up… just so your masculinity remains intact."

"You are just so considerate Doc…" he swooned as Zoe's stomach flipped "…I'll see ya later."

"Bye…" she said sweetly as she watched him walk away and with the biggest smile on her face she returned to work.

….

"Wow. Wade this place is packed, wow." Zoe stated as Wade led her through the door of the Rammer Jammer. She was completely taken aback by the crowds of people buzzing around the bar.

Wade slowly lifted her coat off her shoulders and handed it to the bus-boy as he smiled "It's like you've never been here before."

"Take a compliment when it's given."

"Right, sorry…." He turned to face her "…so can I buy you a drink?"

"I'd love one." Zoe said smiling as Wade took her last 3 fingers in his first two and led her towards the bar. As they passed Annabeth, Zoe dropped her a wink of excitement and delight. She watched as he poured the wine into the glass and pushed it her way.

"Wade, hey Wade!" someone called from the kitchen as Wade dropped his head "I'll be right back."

For the next half hour Wade and Zoe enjoyed pockets of conversation but anytime they found themselves enjoying a moment they were disrupted by someone coming up to talk to them or someone requiring Wade's help but Wade always managed to find his way back to Zoe and no matter how annoyed or frustrated he was he always returned to her with a sweet smile on his face.

Wade lifted the heavy crate of beer from the stockroom to the bar as Zoe watched on from the other side of the bar before going to the other side to help him. The blaring music in the background made it only harder for him to concentrate as he set it down on the work bench and began to unload the bottles into the fridge below the counter.

"I think it's pretty crappy you have to work at your own party." Zoe said as she placed a bottle in the fridge.

Wade smiled "Just my luck huh? I'm sorry I've been crazy busy all night though."

"It's okay. It's actually kinda cool seein' you run this place."

Wade squinted his eyes in confusion "You've seen me run this place before."

Zoe smiled as she placed the final bottle into the fridge and let Wade help her to her feet, smoothening out her dress "Not like this I haven't. We've either been fighting or not talking or with other people. It sort of feels just like before."

"Like before" Wade thought to himself as he watched her walk from out behind the bar and toward Lavon and Annabeth sitting over by the window.

"Big Z... how's the big date going?" Lavon asked as Zoe took a seat beside them.

"I am happy that the bar is so busy but I kinda wish it wasn't so Wade and I could have 5 minutes alone without someone or something disturbing us. I also hate that he has to work, he should be enjoying this night."

"With you." Annabeth added.

"Exactly..." Zoe said as she ripped the cherry from its stem with her teeth "…what time is it anyway? I volunteered to lead the old folks on their weekly walk tomorrow morning so I don't want to be too late or too drunk." She said as she pushed the glass of wine away from her.

"Almost 12."

Zoe nodded as she looked over at Wade who was busy chatting to a group of customers. He could see her in the corner of his eye as he excused himself from the conversation and made his way over.

"Hey…" she said sweetly as he smiled at her.

"Hey, hey Lavon, AB, you guys okay for drinks? Cause I could-"

"Everything is per-fect." Lavon said feeling slightly intoxicated "You my friend are per-fect and your bar is per-fect."

Zoe giggled as Annabeth tried to hush him.

….

"I'm sorry I spent most of the night workin'…"

"You need to stop apologising Wade. I told you it was fine. I had fun."

Wade led her up the porch steps as they stood at her door with the flickering porch light above them. Wade glanced up as he watched the flies blaze around the old bulb.

"I've told you a thousand times to fix that porch light."

"And I've told you a thousand times I don't know how to."

"Well then I'll do it, I think I got a spare bulb back home. I'll call by tomorrow and fix it."

"You don't have to."

"Well I am."

Zoe smiled as she moved closer to him "Thank you." She said quietly as he looked down at her, the only noise was the crickets in the bushes, the rest was silence.

"It's only a light bulb."

"I wasn't talking about the light bulb…" she said sweetly as she moved even closer to him and let his hand slip onto her hip, slowly her hands fell onto his chest as his head dropped slightly. Wade's stomach flipped as he felt her left hand curl up around his neck, pulling him in closer before feeling her soft lips press against his. He gripped at her waist as their torso's pushed together. Zoe felt his nose brush against hers as she tightened her grip around his neck. Neither dared to push the moment so the minute oxygen became an issue they pulled away, still with a tight grip on each other's bodies.

Wade pressed his forehead against hers as they both smiled.

"Do you maybe want to come inside?" she asked hopefully, still taking in his scent.

Wade paused, he did want to come inside, so badly but he knew he shouldn't. He gave her body one final tug as he pulled his head away from hers.

"Rain check?" he asked as Zoe let go of her grip, she was gutted he didn't accept her offer but she understood, she smiled as he pulled away and made his way down the porch steps looking back at her. She waited until he was out of eye-range before reluctantly going inside, with the biggest smile on her face.

…**.**

**There you go. Please let me know what you think as reviews are greatly appreciated! Thank you!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Please let me know what you think! Thanks **

….

"Coffee?" Zoe said in a perky tone as she handed Brick over a fresh cup of coffee. Brick looked at her hesitantly as he reluctantly accepted the coffee.

"Why are you so happy? And on a Monday mornin' too?" he asked as he examined the coffee.

Zoe shrugged her shoulders as she flipped through her charts "I just had a good weekend and I bought a cup of coffee this morning and I said to myself 'maybe Brick would like some coffee to start off his day with a bang!' Is that a crime?"

"It is when you have a permanent smile on your face."

"I can't help it Brick, I am in such a good mood so you're just going to have to deal with it."

"Will your good mood seep through your office door and infect me?"

"Not if you remain in grumpy guts quarantine."

"Glad we have this settled. Your first patient is waitin' for you in your office."

Zoe smiled as she watched him walk away, taking her coffee in one hand and her bag in the other she made her way to her office feeling happier than ever. She struggled opening her office door as both her hands were full so ended up almost falling through her doorway as the patient jumped from the chair.

"Wade." she said with a look of shock on her face as she saw him standing there in front of her. He smiled at her as he took the cup of coffee from her hand and gave her a chance to get herself settled.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she closed the door.

Wade stepped in closer to her and placed his hands on her hips and pressed his lips against hers, taking her completely by surprise. She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck as she let him push her up against the door. Wade's hands travelled up her thighs as she shivered.

"I take it you didn't come here with an actual illness…" Zoe said as she peeled her lips away from his. Wade squeezed at her waist as he nuzzled his face in her neck. Smiling he pulled away but they remained in position against the door.

"I just had to see you… and kiss you." He said in a vulnerable tone as Zoe rested her hands on his chest.

"Well I'm glad you came by. I was half expecting to see you yesterday."

Wade looked to the side "I was kinda nervous, took me 10 cups of coffee to get me here…" he proclaimed as Zoe laughed, tightening her grip on his shirt "…and like another 2 to get in the door!"

Zoe laughed as she pulled him in for another kiss "All that caffeine isn't good for you, you'll be on a sugar high all day."

"I'm already on a high." He said sweetly as he kissed her again, pulling her body in even closer to him as a knock interrupted them and caused them both to jump. The knock on the door by Zoe's head continued as they moved away from the door.

" . Unless you are performing some sort of life saving surgery in there I would advise you to wrap up whatever you are doing. You have a waiting room full of patients, Lord knows why."

Zoe smirked as she fixed her blouse "I'll be right there Brick."

"Alright…" he mumbled from the other side of the door as Zoe sighed.

Wade watched as Zoe reluctantly fixed her hair. She walked over and placed her hands on his chest "I have to get back to work but do you want to come by tonight and we can talk?"

Wade bit his bottom lip as he smiled "Yeah. I'll see you then Doc."

Zoe watched as he made his way out of her office, he kept his head down as he passed Brick who had a suspicious look on his face watching the bartender leave the practice with a coy smile on his face. Brick looked back in at Zoe who had the exact same smile on her face but soon dropped it as she caught Brick looking at her.

"What?" she asked trying to compose herself.

"You are just non-stop Doctor Hart. Non-stop."

….

"I don't know if you know this but the last time you had lunch here was-"

"Can't you just appreciate that fact I am having lunch with you instead of moaning?" Zoe quipped as she filled her glass with water.

Lavon rolled his eyes as he picked at his sandwich "Why aren't you at the Rammer Jammer? I thought you'd be camped there since what happened on Saturday with Wade."

Zoe took a seat across from Lavon "I wasn't sure if I should go to the Rammer Jammer and be around him while we are figuring everything out and taking it slow or whatever, so I came here."

Lavon nodded "So you guys haven't talked since Saturday?"

Zoe's eyes trailed away "We may have crossed paths…"

"Big Z."

"He called by this morning and we made out until Brick interrupted us."

Lavon slapped is hand against his lap "Well then go have lunch with him, its not like y'all are hangin' in suspense. He's probably waitin' for you to come by!"

"No we left things on a good note this morning and I told him to call by tonight so we can talk so seeing him 100 times between now and then would just… ruin the moment or whatever you want to call it."

"That makes absolutely no sense so Lavon Hayes does not want to get involved so he is just going to eat his lunch in piece."

Zoe made a face at him as her phone rang, she glanced down and saw it was her mom so she excused herself and disappeared from the kitchen giving Lavon his peace but it didn't last for as the minute Zoe left the kitchen, Wade entered.

"Oooh chicken." He said examining the sandwich fillings in front of him as Lavon clenched his fists. Lavon watched as Wade prepared a sandwich before noticing Zoe's sitting in across from him.

"Hey is Zoe-"

"Well my mom-" Zoe said dramatically as she re-entered the kitchen but stopped in her spot as soon as she saw Wade.

Lavon looked between the two as they stood staring at each other.

"Hi" Zoe said awkwardly as she played with her hands.

Wade dug his hands deep in his pockets "Hi."

"Oh for God sake. You love him… you love her… y'all both love each other and y'all both had your tongues down each other's throats this mornin' so please say somethin' more that 'hi'. Please!"

Wade and Zoe both looked at Lavon and then back at each other both resisting the urge to laugh at Lavon's outburst.

"I'm having lunch here because I wanted to avoid the Rammer Jammer and you..."

"Well if we're bein' honest then I took lunch off to avoid you too."

Zoe smiled as they met halfway and suddenly they felt like the only two people in the world as Wade reached for her hand.

"I know we said we'd talk tonight…" his voice trailed off as she felt his hand creep up around her waist and stay there. Zoe's stomach tightened as she took in his scent and swallowed hard.

"Well technically we are on lunch… a break from our day…" Zoe said as Wade gave a smile of approval and bent down and pressed his lips against hers. Zoe wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her.

"When I said say more than hi, I meant somethin' like how is your day or you look nice, not let me stick my tongue down your throat."

Wade pulled away but kept a firm grip around Zoe's waist "Lavon, are you okay man?"

"It's just me-" he stopped suddenly as he noticed Wade and Zoe's hands intertwined. Both holding on so tightly, never wanting to lose grip of what was between them. He then noticed smile on Zoe's face, the smile that had been absent for so long.

"What is it?" Wade asked as he grew concerned.

Lavon shook his head as he glanced at the pair "It's nothin' never mind."

"You sure?" Wade asked again as he let go of Zoe's hand.

"Yeah, I have to go. I gotta a meetin' I'm late for. Enjoy your lunch."

Zoe and Wade watched as Lavon leave the kitchen in a hurry. They looked at each other with confused looks on their faces but it didn't last long as they stood alone in an empty kitchen. Wade smiled down at her as he reached for her hand again.

"Can I make you lunch?" he asked, pressing their foreheads together.

"Well I sure as heck ament going to make it." She joked as Wade pecked at her lips and led her back towards the counter.

"Lavon was acting weird wasn't he?"

"Yeah, he's definitely hiding something from us."

"I'll ask him later but first…" Wade pulled out two packets of meat from behind his back "…chicken or ham?"

….

"So you guys are back together?" George asked as he took a seat at the bar.

Wade looked up from the paperwork in front of him "What are you talkin' about?"

George pulled out his phone and handed it to Wade, Wade examined the picture in front of him, of him placing a kiss on Zoe's cheek outside the practice.

"What is this?"

George put his phone back in his pocket "Dash's blog, apparently he spotted you guys this afternoon bein' awful cosy."

"Apparently so…" Wade said quietly as he slipped the pieces of paper under the bar "…we aren't back together."

"That whole casual thing again?"

"No, uh I don't know really, we're talkin' or takin' things slow or I don't know." He laughed a little as George nodded.

"Don't you think you guys should really clarify that seen as the whole town basically knows you two are you know…"

"We are, tonight. If you know what I mean."

George laughed as he shook his head, his mood soon dipped though as he looked up at Wade "At the party, on Halloween… did you ever think you'd get her back?"

Wade looked down at his hands and then back up at George "I gave up for a while… I ain't doin' that again."

"We're cool right?" George asked "… you know everything that happened last year with-"

"Tucker, you're one of my best friends and all that…. we're good."

George nodded confidently "Alright good." George caught Wade's eyes staring at the clock, he gripped at the countertop as he stared at the two hands of the clock move slowly.

"What time you goin' over there at?" George asked as Wade snapped his focus away from the clock.

"At 11."

"3 hours to go. You know what you should do..." George looked over at Wanda "…You should get Wanda to close up for you and go over there and surprise her."

"Tucker… does this mean you now ship Zade?"

George laughed as he took a sip of beer "It is so painfully obvious that y'all love each other and Joel was wrong, I ament the second act in the Zoe Hart story or whatever I never was. It was always you Wade, it has always been you."

…

Zoe reached into the bag and pulled a handful of red rose petals, she sprinkled them across the bed spread as her robe loosened around her body. She tightened the robe as she examined herself in the mirror, her cleavage subtly showing as her curls rested on her shoulders. She looked up at the clock, she til had hours before Wade would call and she had nerves in her stomach already as she looked around the room for something to do. Candles scattered around the room as the lights were dimmed. Zoe took a seat on the bed and looked at her phone, hoping to see a text or a missed call from Wade. As she scrolled aimlessly through her phone she heard noise coming from the hallway, it sounded like footsteps as her face lit up, she knew Wade would try and surprise her by calling by early and she loved it.

She hopped off the bed and straightened down her robe as she rushed to light the remaining few candles. There was a silent knock at the door as Zoe took a deep breath, it was finally happening, all the nights she lay in bed, her heart aching over not having Wade beside her it all seemed like a distant memory as all that stood between her and Wade finally being together was a door.

She composed herself for a moment as she pulled the door open "I knew you wouldn't be able to make it til 11-"

"Hi Zoe…"

"Joel…."

…..


	9. Chapter 9

**I was in a good mood so I decided to update today! Please let me know what you thought, thanks!**

…

"What are you doing here… in Bluebell."

Joel's eyes focused on her body as she clicked her fingers in front of his face.

"Why are you here." She pleaded with him as she suddenly felt uncomfortable standing in her robe only.

Joel shook his head as he tried to focus "I can't stop thinking about you Zoe. I never should have left in January, I should have fought for you... I love you."

Zoe frowned as Joel moved closer to her.

"We were planning a life together Zoe and a moment's freak out from me ruined that but I am back now…" he took her hand in his "…we're back."

Zoe pulled her hand away not really sure what to say to Joel. He stepped forward closing the distance between them and pressed his lips against hers. Her eyes bulged from her head as the feel of his lips made her cringe.

"What the hell is this."

Joel jumped as Zoe pushed him away as she looked up to see Wade standing in front of them.

"Wade, this is not what it looks like. Joel was just-"

"I don't want to hear it." Wade looked Joel up and down as he gripped at the bunch of flowers in his hand. He looked over at Zoe who could see the hurt in his eyes, he shook his head as he retreated to the front door.

Joel stepped back as he suddenly realised what he had interrupted. Zoe pushed past him as she chased after Wade down the porch steps.

"Wade…Wade!" she called after him as she watched him throw the flowers onto the ground.

"Wade, please let me explain." She cried after him but it was no use, he had already disappeared behind the bushes and soon enough she heard his engine rev. Zoe turned back around and made her way up the steps as Joel waited for her in the hallway.

"What the hell are you doing here Joel."

"Wade, really?"

"I just… I am not in the mood to deal with you tonight so can you please just go."

"Zoe…come on. I flew all this way the least we could do is talk."

"I didn't ask you to come here but I am asking you to leave."

….

"Come on… come on… come on." Zoe pleaded as she heard phone ring out once again. She sighed as she heard the tone of the answering machine on the other end of the line and disconnected the call. Looking out her window there was still no sign of life at the gatehouse and Wade's car was still gone.

Zoe looked around the room, the evidence of last night still visible as she heard a knock at the door. She rushed to the door in hope that it was Wade but even she knew she wouldn't be that lucky.

"Lavon." She said disappointedly as he made his way in.

"Well it's good to see you too Big Z."

"You haven't heard from Wade have you?"

"What do you mean? I came here lookin' for him. Figured he'd be here."

"Well you figured wrong. I haven't seen him since he drove off last night."

Lavon sighed as he looked around the room, only now was he noticing the pile of petals on the ground and the burnt out candles.

"What happened?"

"Morning." A voice came from behind as Lavon swung around to see Joel standing in the door way with coffee and donuts in his hands.

"Joel…" Lavon said as he looked at Zoe who hung her head.

"It's good to see you again man."

"Uh yeah, it's good to see you too… here in Bluebell… with Zoe." He continued to stare at Zoe as Joel set the coffee down.

"Well I just called by to see if- if Zoe had that thing I was lookin' for but clearly she does not so I'll get out of y'all's way."

Zoe clenched her teeth as she watched Lavon leave, Joel smiled at her but she did not reciprocate.

"You should have called me before coming all the way down here." Zoe said as she tied her hair up.

"I thought it would be romantic if I surprised you."

"Well you surprised me alright."

"Look I just want to talk, it has been 5 months since I left and I have been a mess Zoe. I miss you so much."

"I- I don't know what to tell you Joel."

"Tell me that you have at least thought about us, about working this out."

Zoe shook her head "I can't tell you what you want to hear. I'm sorry… now I've got to find Wade."

"Zoe!" Joel called after her as she ran down the porch steps but she was gone, long gone.

Zoe rushed down the plantation road and made her way towards town, her eyes peeled at the passing cars for hope Wade would drive by.

"Wanda!" Zoe called as she entered the Rammer Jammer to find Wanda standing at the register with a tray in her hand.

" what are you doin' here."

"Did Wade open up this morning?"

"No, he sent me a text at like 4 last night askin' me to open, I just figured he was spendin' the mornin' with you but obviously not."

Zoe looked around with a panicked look on her face "Has he texted you since?"

"No sorry. Is everything okay?"

Zoe paused for a minute, every bad possible scenario running through her head "everything is fine."

Zoe made her way through town frantically thinking of places Wade would be or the people he would be with when George caught her eye coming out of The Dixie Stop.

"George…"

George looked up to see Zoe scurrying over his way with her handbag swinging furiously. He met her half way trying to calm her down.

"Zoe what's wrong."

"Have you heard from Wade?"

"Not since last night before he went over to yours, why what's wrong?"

"Joel appeared on my doorstep last night and he kissed me and Wade walked in on us and completely freaked out and I haven't heard from him since and I am worried, really worried."

"Wait Joel's back?"

Zoe shook her head as the anger grew inside in of her "I'm not worried about Joel George, I'm worried about Wade. The last time he didn't come home he…"

Zoe couldn't even finish her sentence as George's face dropped. He knew exactly what Zoe was worried about as he put his hand on her shoulder doing his best to comfort her. He tried to rack his brains as to where Wade would be.

"Zoe he's probably blowin' off steam somewhere, he'll be back."

"I know… you're probably right I just- I just keep imagining his car wrapped around some tree or him in some sluts bed!"

George squeezed at her shoulder "Zoe, just last night he told me that he wasn't givin' up on you... he's not where you think he is so don't even let your mind wander there."

….

Wade reluctantly opened his eyes, fearing the worst. Where he would be or who he would be with. His head was thumping as he propped himself up with the help of his elbows, he looked around the room and soon realised he had been there before. He examined the TV in front of him and then the pictures on hanging on the wall.

"Oh God." He thought to himself as he gripped at the couch material underneath him, the lightly blanket covered his bare chest as he searched for his shirt which lay in a pile on the ground. Slowly he sat up as he noticed the tall glass of water resting on the table beside him; taking a sip from the glass he heard noise on the other side of the door. There was a knock and then it opened as Wade felt his stomach flipped.

"Mornin'…" Wade said as he buttoned his shirt.

"Mornin'…" Vivian replied as she placed the cup of coffee in front of him.

"How'd you sleep?"

Wade winced as he took a sip of coffee, the burning liquid awakening his taste-buds "Good I guess… what time is it?"

"Almost nine… I was afraid Harley would wake you when he was leaving for school but you were fairly out of it."

Wade sighed as he sat back in the couch "We didn't uh…"

"No! God no!" Vivian said in a state of almost horror "…no, you landed on my doorstep last night, you could barely stand and you kept goin' on about how much you hated New York and how you would never ever visit there."

Wade scoffed "I'm stickin' to that anyway…"

"You also said stuff about Zoe…"

Wade dropped his head, hoping last night was just a dream but it wasn't, it was reality. He looked around the room as even thinking about Zoe and Joel made him angry and hurt "Whatever I said it was stupid, it was the drink talkin'…"

Vivian shook her head "It wasn't the drink Wade, it was you and you were heartbroken."

"She's goin' back to him I just know it."

"Why because he turned up on her doorstep?"

"Because she kissed him!"

"You don't know everythin'… you even said yourself you walked in on them, you don't know what happened before you walked in."

"I don't think I wanna know."

Vivian rolled her eyes "Why is it when it comes to everyone else's love life you are the most selfless guy I know, you ended it with me for Harley and my family… yet when it comes to your own relationship you give up, you act like it- like you're not worth it or something!"

Wade looked at the pictures on the wall and then back at her "How are things here?"

Vivian sighed "Gettin' there I guess. Harley's really happy."

"Good, he deserves to be happy."

"And you deserve to be happy too… Look Wade I don't know all the details but I do know your cell has been ringin' all mornin' and all the calls have been from Zoe so why don't you, instead of sittin' here on my couch go and fix it with her."

Wade looked at her as he played with his phone, he knew Vivian was right. He should go and talk with Zoe but he was hurt, his pride was hurt and his heart was hurt. He then looked at his phone, _24 missed calls, _as he sighed.

"Zoe wasn't the reason I started datin' you, I didn't do it to make her jealous, I really did like you…" he looked over at the picture of Charles and Harley standing beside the seaside "... I need you to know that."

Vivian nodded her head and smiled "I know… but I also know that she is the only person who will ever really have your heart."

….

Wade stared over at the carriage house, the porch light flickered in the evening dusk as he breathed hard. She clearly wasn't home and he deliberately drove the back-roads all day to avoid her but he knew he couldn't avoid her forever.

"Wade." An all too familiar voice said from behind him as he swung around.

"Joel… you're still here."

"I'm on my way back to New York. Just wanted to call by before I go."

"I? You mean you aint takin' the Doc back with you?" Wade asked coldly as Joel moved closer to him.

"I realised that after Zoe kicked me out last night that I made a mistake coming down here. I spent the last 12 hours basically piecing together Zoe and I's entire relationship and it dawned on me that all along… she's been hiding behind me and our relationship because she is so in love with you."

Wade looked over at him as he dug his hands deep in his pocket "You're the second person to tell me that today and yet I'm strugglin' to believe it."

Joel sighed "The whole time I was here I thought it was George I had to be worried about, but now I realise it was you I had to worry about and even then I knew I never stood a chance because like it or not you and Zoe Hart are meant to be together, that's your story."

Wade swallowed hard as he continued to stare at Joel.

"I haven't talked to her since this morning. She's been holed up in her office all day trying to contact you but can you tell her that I'm sorry and goodbye…."

Wade nodded as Joel turned his back and started walking away from the gatehouse before stopping and turning back to face Wade "People would give an arm and a leg to have a relationship like yours so why don't you believe in yourself for once in your life."

"How's the book goin' for ya?"

"It's getting there." Joel said as he smiled at Wade before backing away leaving Wade standing with his hands in his pockets staring at nothing and thinking about everything.

….

Zoe shut the door behind her as she placed the bag of take out on her bed, she wasn't even hungry but it had been at least 12 hours since she last ate and was feeling weak. She looked around the room as silence filled her body. Just as she was about to dig into her lukewarm burger and fries her phone rang from her bag.

'Crap' Zoe thought as she saw Vivian's name on the screen. She panicked for a moment looking for a reason not to talk but she was stuck.

"Vivian, hey."

"_Zoe, I'm sorry it took me so long to contact you I hope you weren't too freaked out_."

"Freaked out about what?"

"_About Wade not coming home._"

Zoe shook her head starting to realise maybe Wade wasn't alone last night, confirming her fears from earlier "I don't think I understand what you're talking about."

There was a pause before Vivian spoke again "_You and Wade haven't talked have you?"_

"No we haven't. I haven't spoken to him since last night. How is he, is he okay?"

"_He's okay. He's angry but he is okay."_

"I never tried to steal him from you, I did the exact opposite actually..." Zoe blurted out as her conscious suddenly weighed her down.

"_I know, he said somethin' along those lines last night_"

"He was with you last night?"

"_Nothing happened, he just needed a place to crash. I told him to go talk to you but obviously he did not._"

Zoe heard a feint laugh on the other end of the line as she smiled, how was it that Wade's ex had more faith in her and Wade than she did. Her and Vivian spoke for a while longer before Vivian had to go and Zoe heard a knock at the door. Immediately she rolled her eyes at the thought of Joel standing on her doorstep yet again. She contemplated just not answering the door and letting Joel figure out for himself that he should go back to New York but then she figured maybe the best way to give him closure was to stand there and say loud and clear that Wade was the one she wanted to be with.

Zoe took a calming breath before putting on a serious façade and opening the door slowly with her arms folded. However the moment she saw Wade standing in front of her she dropped her arms, her face softened and she flung herself into his shirt, wrapping her arms around his neck. Wade a bit taken aback by her display of emotion stood still but rested his hand on the small of her back, taking in her sweet scent.

Zoe pulled away as the tears formed; she looked at him for another moment before hitting his chest with force "Don't you ever do that to me again Wade Kinsella, I thought you were lying in a ditch somewhere."

Wade sighed "I just needed time to clear my head."

"I just needed to know if you were okay."

Wade's face twitched as he moved closer " I'm not okay Zoe, we're not okay. We spent all of yesterday coverin' up our issues with make-out sessions and flirtin' when really what we need to do is talk, talk about everythin' that has happened because like it or not we've both screwed up and we've both hurt each other and we need to see if we are willin' to give 110% into this relationship?"

Zoe nodded her head as Wade smiled "I think we should talk too."

Zoe smiled as she nodded moving closer to him, she took his hand in hers as she squeezed at it, both feeling hurt and upset yet both willing to talk about it and maybe, just maybe they could pick up the pieces.

….

**Hope you enjoyed it! Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks to everyone who gives me feedback… it helps me a lot! I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

….

"If I'm being honest I thought you went off and did something stupid last night."

"You mean hookin' up with some bar slut?"

Zoe winced "Can you blame me for thinking it was a possibility."

"No, but I would like to think you trust me."

"I do… I just saw how hurt you were when you saw Joel standing there and I figured you'd want to hurt me."

Wade took a deep breath as he looked out into the darkness, both sitting side by side on the porch steps yet feeling a million miles away "I guess I'm just sick of being your second choice all of the time."

"You're my first choice Wade, that's why this whole thing scares me so much, you are my only choice and I am scared that we'll just continue to hurt each other to the point that-"

"You're gettin' ahead of yourself Doc… "

"No I'm not, I'm serious Wade. I want to be with you so badly but…"

"But what?" he asked as he moved closer to her.

"I see other couples and they just… click or something, like it all comes easy and natural to them but for us it just seems like all we do is hurt each other and screw it up."

Wade paused as he looked into her eyes "Well that's because we've got our added sexiness to factor in."

Zoe spat out a little giggle as she hit him lightly across his chest, even in the most hurtful of times he knew how to put a smile on her face and make her feel like everything was going to be okay, even if it was just for a minute.

"Can I ask why you and Joel broke up?"

"I thought you didn't want to know?"

Wade hung his head as smiled a little at her sassy tone "Well now I do..." he whispered as he moved his head closer to hers and knocked their foreheads together. Zoe smiled as her fingers caught a feel of the back of his head, his soft hair brushing against the pads of her fingers as she shivered ever so slightly. Wade noticed her small body jump as he unzipped his hoody and held it open as she slipped her arms through the sleeves.

"Bluebell is my home and no matter how hard I tried he was never going to fit in here so once he got a call from his editor asking him to come back to New York I knew we were over, that I was meant to be here…."

Wade nodded slowly, not really sure what to say.

"But there was another reason…" she said quietly as Wade's head shot up "… When I went to New York last summer my heart was broken and I did everything in my power to prove to myself that you weren't what I wanted, Joel was a safe choice because I knew he would never hurt me but I could never love him the way I love you."

"Every time you told him you loved him, did you mean it?"

Zoe's stomach flipped as Wade's words came with hurt and pain, up until this moment she didn't quite understand how hard it was for Wade to see her with Joel and she knew no amount of words could take back the way she acted with Joel or how she treated him so instead she raised her right hand, placed it on his cheek and pressed her lips against his. Taking him completely by surprise she held a tight grip of his shirt collar as their noses clicked together.

"It was easy to say it to him because I didn't really mean it."

Wade kissed her again as the knots in his stomach loosened ever so slightly.

"See this is what I meant by the added sexiness, it's all just too much!" Wade quipped as he pulled away, Zoe laughed as she placed her hand on his leg and rested her head on his shoulders, both stared out at the night.

"Wade I don't think you'll ever understand how sorry I am for sending you that email last summer… it was the last way I ever wanted to say goodbye to you but I knew if I called you…" she choked up a little "… if I heard your voice that I would fall apart."

"Readin' that email killed me it did and I was in a really crap place for a long time after it but it was a long time ago, and there is no point holdin' a grudge over somethin' that is no longer relevant, right?"

Zoe sighed as she pressed her forehead against his cheek, she could never understand how he could be so considerate and understanding time after time.

"You have no idea how many times over the summer I just wanted to get on a plane and go to see you…"

"Well why didn't you?"

"Would you have sent me back home if I did?"

Zoe paused for a moment before smiling "probably, yeah or I'd have done the complete opposite and fallen into bed with you."

"See now that is one thing we are good at, that does not need fixin'…"

Zoe hit Wade playfully across the chest as he grinned down at her. They sat in silence for a moment, neither really wanting to speak, just enjoy the tranquillity.

"Do you want to stay here tonight?" Zoe asked cautiously as Wade's arm tightened around her body. He rested his chin on her head as he thought about her offer, the idea of lying next to Zoe after nearly a year apart sounded like heaven to him and he knew the right thing to do would be to go home and let them pick up their conversation in the morning but he also knew how hard she was working to hold onto them and that he should do the same.

"But I left my pj's at home…"

Zoe let out a loud laugh as she nuzzled into his shirt before pulling him up onto his feet. Wade looked at her as he tucked a strand of hair behind and then took her hand in his and led her into the carriage house.

"You can borrow my pj's if you like…"

"You're too kind Doc."

…..

"You're alive."

Wade lifted his head to see Lavon standing in front of him with his hat in his hands. He took a seat at the bar as Wade filled his mug with coffee.

"You're not gettin' rid of me that easily." He joked as he wiped the surface clean.

"I didn't see you in my kitchen this mornin' either."

"Yeah I was runnin' late so I just came here straight from Zoe's. I'll be back tomorrow though so don't worry."

Zoe's?" Lavon asked inquisitively.

Wade smirked as he leaned over the bar "Wasn't like that, we talked for ages and I just stayed over. We didn't do anythin'…"

"So Joel's gone?"

"Yeah…"

"Are you guys back together?"

Wade paused, they never really established last night what their status was so when Lavon flung the question at him he panicked, he wanted to be with Zoe and he was almost certain she wanted to be with him but the conversation never took a turn in that direction so neither party pushed it. Luckily for Wade George came up behind Lavon before he could answer the question.

"Wade, you're back."

"Can't a guy go off the radar for one day without the whole town stickin' their nose in?"

"Not when Zoe Hart is concerned." Lavon said as he flipped through the menu and George nodded in agreement.

"What d'ya mean?" Wade asked not really sure what the two men were talking about.

"Dude if it was up to her she'd have had the National Guard out lookin' for you. She was a mess."

"She was?"

"What did y'all talk about last night?" Lavon asked as he started to realise Wade didn't know the whole story of his disappearance and the effect it had on Zoe.

"Well I knew she was worried but… for other reasons." He looked around the bar in disbelief "…she really missed me that much?"

George nodded his head as he took a sip at his coffee.

"I should go talk to her shouldn't I?"

"Yes, you should." George said as he watched Wade dash out from behind the bar screaming to Wanda to cover him.

Wade walked briskly through the town square and by the time he made it to the door of the practice he was running. He burst into the waiting room where Zoe and Brick were standing both looking at a chart Zoe held in her hand. Brick looked up to see Wade running towards him with a sweaty brow.

"Hello son-" Brick said but was cut off as Wade stepped in front of them, pulled Zoe into his body and kissed her as the chart fell to the floor. Zoe stood stunned for a moment before wrapping her arms around his neck and reciprocated his passionate kiss, as Wade felt her tongue creep past his lips he smiled and Brick rolled his eyes before clearing his throat.

Zoe looked over at him for a moment and then up at Wade, both with the biggest smiles on their faces.

"You're my girlfriend Zoe. We're not monogamous casually or just friends or seein' what happens. We're together, for real and the sooner everyone knows the better, okay?"

Zoe was stuck for words as she stared up at him, his eyes sparkling and his skin glowing, she felt the tears form as she nodded her head "Okay" she croaked out as she wiped the tears away, mixed with a dose of laughter.

"And I'm takin' you on a date tonight too."

Brick stood there trying his best not to smile but even he could see the young couple had jumped that final hurdle and as if through some mystical force the pain and anguish that had covered them for the best part of a year lifted from their shoulders and evaporated.

….

"I heard he swept her off her feet…"

"I heard he serenaded her with a song on the guitar…"

"No no no ladies you've heard it all wrong. He snuck into her office and covered it with roses before gettin' Doctor Breeland to guide her in."

"Oh Shula hush, there is no way that happened. I heard from Frank who heard from Tom who heard from Wanda that he swept her off her feet and Wanda works with Wade she would know…"

The three ladies continued their debate as they watched Wade and Zoe walk hand in hand towards the town square.

"Well either way… Zade are back." Josie said as she gripped at her handbag.

"6 hours and the towns already onto us…"

"The Bluebell way…" Zoe stated as they walked past the chattering ladies "… it will die down after a few days… I hope."

Wade smiled down at her and took his hands in hers, interlocking their fingers as Zoe smiled "This feels right" she whispered into his shirt as they crossed the towns square, the sun beginning to set.

Wade pulled her in and kissed the top of her head as sign of agreement "We're definitely gonna be the feature headline on Dash's blog tomorrow."

"What time do you want to go to Fancies at?" Zoe asked as they walked towards the plantation.

Wade thought about it as he examined the sets of eyes looking at them "Maybe we should go to Mobile."

"I thought you hated those restaurants with their jacked up prices…" she joked as she looked up at him, Wade left slightly stuck for words laughed as he looked for an excuse.

"Well I figured we could celebrate… and not have the whole town look at us while we do."

Zoe reached up and kissed him as Crickett and Stanley watched on. Zoe caught onto their stares as she moved closer to Wade.

"Yeah maybe we should go to Mobile, or…" she said turning in to face him as they stopped at the gate to the plantation "…we could skip dinner altogether and just go back home…"

Wade's jaw dropped as he felt her hand ride up his back, he stiffened as he smiled "We could do that too…"

Zoe struggled to find the door handle of the gatehouse as her body pushed up against the glass door, Wade's hands travelling furiously up and down her body as she showered his neck in kisses. Both letting out little laughs and giggles as the door finally opened and they fell into the darkened gatehouse. Once inside Wade began to unbutton her shirt and Zoe discarded his hoodie and t-shirt. Pressing her up against the wall Wade shivered as her soft skin bounced against his. He hoisted her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist and let him stagger to the bed. The minute her head hit the pillow Zoe beamed with joy, she curled her arms around his neck and his bobbed in and out for kisses. Their noses grazed together as each kiss intensified but slowly Wade began to pull away as Zoe looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she fiddled with the pendant around his neck.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" he asked softly as he stroked the side of her face. Zoe paused for a moment, taking in the intensity of the moment as their bodies pressed together, both were fighting so hard for this relationship and both were scared and vulnerable.

"Why… have you forgotten how to do it?" Zoe quipped causing Wade to drop his head in laughter against her chest hearing her little laugh vibrate his ear. Wade took a deep breath as he dropped another kiss against her lips.

….

"For some reason I don't think we're going to make dinner…" Zoe said as she drew circles with her index finger across Wade's chest.

Wade chuckled as he looked over at the alarm clock "Probably not… but if I feel like you're gonna waste away on me I'll throw you some bread."

"You are just too kind Wade Kinsella…" Zoe swooned as she reached up and planted a kiss on his lips, stroking his stubble with her curled up fingers. Wade ran his hand up and down her back as the bodies clicked together both holding on dearly to the night's events.

"You know I never thought I'd say this but I really have missed this bed." She stated as she sat up in the bed and looked around for one of his shirt to throw on. Wade sighed as he felt her peel away from his skin and tried to coax her back in.

"Well then you gotta spend some quality time with it… Come on."

Zoe laughed as she fell back into his grip smothering her head into his chest as he kissed the top of her head. Her mood dropped suddenly as she grew serious.

"When we broke up I spent nights wishing I was back here with you… I'm just so happy we have a second chance."

Wade tucked a strand of hair behind her right ear "Me too Doc…" He kept his hand on her head for a few moments longer before stretching his arm out and sighing "…you wanna go make some pancakes?"

Zoe's jaw locked as she smiled nervously "It's a bit late for pancakes. Why don't we just get pizza?"

"Or we could go to Lavon's and you could whip up some of them amazin' pancakes you made me…"

"Or…" Zoe said as she ran her index finger down his stomach "…we could stay here."

"But I really want those pancakes."

"Lavon probably doesn't even have the ingredients."

"So we'll just go get some of that ready-made stuff. You know where to get it."

Zoe gasped as she smiled and hit his chest playfully "You knew?!" She screeched as Wade burst out laughing.

"Of course I knew!" he stated as he sat himself up in the bed "Baby you can't cook, at all."

"I thought I was doing something nice for you."

"You were… now if you actually did try and cook then that would have been a punishment-" Zoe shoved him forcefully as he fell back onto the mattress forcefully, bringing her with him, both with smiles on their faces.

"I really appreciate it though…" he whispered as he kissed her. Her light body resting on his as their lips crashed together.

….

Lavon looked up from his book as he heard the door snap. Standing before him, hand in hand, were Wade and Zoe both with grins on their faces and not much clothes between them. Wade wearing a tank top and jeans and Zoe in one of his shirts and denim shorts. Lavon wasn't really sure what to say given in the last 48 hours the couple had gone being together, to not talking, to walking hand in hand.

"What do we got here?" he asked as Wade and Zoe looked at each other.

"Me and my, boyfriend are making dinner… you want some?"

Lavon's face lit up as he looked at both his friends "Boyfriend? Y'all sure?"

Wade laughed as he placed his hand on Zoe's knee "Yeah… do we got your permission?" he joked as Zoe pushed against his shoulder.

"Just don't involve me in your drama this time."

Zoe smirked, she knew that was never going to happen. This was a 3 way relationship that worked through Lavon so she simply smiled and let him think the best.

"Hey Lavon you think maybe when AB gets back from her cousins house in Birmingham we could all go out for dinner?"

"Uhh... we could. I mean it would be a bit awkward seen as we broke up but you could ask her anyway."

Wade's head shot up as Zoe nearly dropped the packet of pasta in her hand "What?"

"Did I not mention that?"

"No never came up." Wade said sarcastically.

"You guys were just at the party on Saturday night… what happened?"

"I really don't want to get into it. I'll be okay."

Wade looked over at Zoe with a worried look on both their faces, feeling slightly guilty they were so absorbed in their own troubles they completely missed Lavon's.

"You want us to go? Watch a bit of Don Todd and drown yourself in pity and beer?"

"Nah… my two best friends are back together, we gotta celebrate. I'll go get us some beer and pizza…" he looked at the bag of pasta in Zoe's hand "…cause if Zoe's cookin' I will be sad!"

"Hey!" She stated as Lavon headed for the door laughing and Wade hung his head trying to hide his laughter but Zoe caught him and hit him playfully. Wade waited until Lavon closed the door before pulling Zoe into his body and pecking at her lips.

"I've missed bein' your boyfriend Zoe Hart. Even if you can't cook or change a light bulb I love you, so much."

"I love you too Cowboy…"

….

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